Altered Dimensions...Shaun Coffey

Shaun Coffey is interested in future making and institutional building. He is an agricultural scientist who tries to integrate fragmented and sector-specific technical and scientific knowledge to address the wicked problems that characterise the real world.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

How do you grab the attention of your organisation and ensure that it does
the right thing?

Many will say “by having a compelling vision”. It would be nice to
have such a simple exclamation.

Having a compelling vision alone is insufficient for achievement as a
leader. It must be complemented by communication and relationship building
skills. Peters and Waterman, in “In Search of Excellence” (1982), considered
that the principal factor which seems to deliver organisational success is the
manager’s ability to deal with people.

Dealing with people in organisations starts with establishing a shared
understanding of purpose. CEOs cannot develop a compelling vision or a strategy
on their own. Yes, they need to have an agenda, and be results oriented
(results get attention), but these cannot be developed in isolation.The
reality is that the best CEOs are good at articulating the aspirations of their
fellow organisational members. They are good at listening

and observing their
own people, and turning those aspirations

into a compelling statement for the
organisation.

Simply put, the best leaders set the direction by energising the

aspirations already in the organisation.

Articulating and communicating that vision turns it into a statement of
shared purpose. The much sought after alignment of staff is more correctly
described as a continuing process of orienting people towards the core
objective, and to initiate actions that contribute to the achievement of
purpose. And organisations become more effective as this shared understanding
translates into another continuing process of always challenging what is being
done – does it contribute to the purpose? Is it consistent with values? If so,
is it the best way? What are the risks? Is the risk worth taking? And so on..
Rather than being seen as the action of a charismatic or transformational
leader, thepurpose provides for a fundamental need in people.It is one in
which they can find meaning and a sense of personal worth. It is a framework in
which their contribution can be appreciated, and not just externally, but in
greater levels of self-esteem and confidence. The effective managerial leader’s
role then has been to capture and clarify the collective aspirations, to
articulate these in a clear statement of purpose, and then to continually
reiterate and reorient around that shared vision.

Two other factors are important, and can be deal breakers no matter how
effective a leader has been in developing a sense of purpose. Those factors are
trust and respect.

Trust is easy, and whilst it encompasses concepts such as integrity and
fairness, in organisations it comes simply from making yourself and your
position clear, and then honouring your commitments. That is, doing what you
promise. This requires accountability and reliability, and implicitly requires
you to think carefully about the commitments you are making, and recognising
the impact that you are having on the organisation and its people. Max De Pree
rightly talks of leadership as a serious meddling in the lives of others.
Consider your commitments carefully, make them public and then honour them. Too
often this becomes a stumbling block!

Respect, also, is easy. To gain the respect and confidence of staff,
managerial leaders must be able to display competence in the work of the
organisation, not just in “management expertise.” This is not an argument
either for internal appointments, or for appointments of people who already
understand your business. Many leaders entered jobs in which they have little
content knowledge, and those who survive invariably go into a deep dive to
understand the business and its nature. As they develop expertise, and display
empathy with the joys and trials of the business, they win respect. Those who
do not work to understand the business falter.

The essence of managerial leadership is to develop and demonstrate

the
expertise and understanding that allows you to articulate a core purpose

for
the organisation.

Translating that purpose into action is the essence of
successful strategy

and that requires you to be clear about your intentions.

It is more than just “walk the talk” – it is
about identifying the path

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

In 2002 Steve Sample, Tenth President of the University of
Southern California penned the book, “The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership” I was reminded of this great little read
during a discussion with a business colleague today. Not surprising, when I
found my copy it was full of many long-forgotten marginal notes and post-it
stickers (also covered with my characteristically unreadable scrawl).

The key take-away of the book is that most people are incapable
of truly original or independent thought, but a leader must have that
ability.Sample draws heavily on
classical works from Shakespeare to Machiavelli to Abraham Lincoln to support
this proposition.As an aside, his
recommendations for a reading list are fun, and…well, contrarian.

A leader’s vision is important, but just as critical is this
ability to “think free” and consider a range of ideas.I’m digging deeper into the book as I’m
finding it fascinating to revisit after 12 years during which my experiences give
me a richer reference point (and will probably post some further comments.

My dictionary defines contrarian as “one who opposes or rejects
popular opinion”.That certainly sounds
like free thinking.Sample pulls
together a few contrarian principles “which
will help a leader break free of the wisdom of the herd, and strike out in bold
new directions.”

1.Think gray: try not to form firm opinions
about ideas or people unless and until you have to.

4.Experts can be helpful, but they’re no
substitute for your own critical thinking and discernment.

5.Beware of pseudoscience masquerading as
incontrovertible fact or unassailable wisdom; it typically will do nothing to
serve your interests or those of the organization you are leading.

6.Dig for gold in the subtext while your
competition stays mired down in trade publications and other ephemera.You can depend on your lieutenants to give
you any current news that really matters.

7.Never make a decision yourself that can be
reasonably delegated to a lieutenant and never make a decision today that can
reasonably put off till tomorrow.

8.Ignore sunk costs and yesterday’s
mistakes.The decisions you make as a
leader can only affect the future not the past.

9.Don't unnecessarily humiliate a defeated
opponent.

10.Know which hill you’re willing to die on,
and realize that your choice may at some point require you to retreat from all
the surrounding hills.

11.Work for those who work for you; recruit the
best lieutenants available, and then spend most of your time and energy helping
them to succeed.

12.Many people want to be leader, but few want to do
leader.If you are not in the latter
group you should stay away from the leadership business altogether.

13.You as a leader can't really run your
organization; rather you can only lead individual followers, who then collectively
give motion and substance to the organization of which you are the head.

14.Don't delude yourself into thinking that
people are intrinsically better or worse than they really are; instead work to
bring the best in your followers (and yourself) while minimizing the worst.

15.You can't copy your way to excellence; rather
true excellence can only be achieved through original thinking and
unconventional approaches.

Sample records that these principles are based in a belief
that leadership is highly situational and contingent.He rightly states that “every leader is
locked in a moment-to-moment struggle with the context and circumstances of his
own place and time”.The leader must
work hard to master the struggle.

Leadership is a diverse topic, and there is an enormous literature that surrounds it. Social media abounds with “insights”, to the extent that I have recently begun reflecting on what I have learnt about leading over the last 30 years in the work force. Not much seems to be new!!

One dominant theme in the social media is an attempt to describe good leadership. The following is an older contribution from Schmertz and Novak on the topic that seems to cover much of what is advocated in more contemporary contributions.

A good leader

is always willing to do the dirty work. He'll sweep out the store if that's what's required to make a project succeed. If everyone on the team has to make a sacrifice, he'll set an example for others to follow.

isn't afraid to hire people who are smarter or more creative than himself. He knows that if he goes to the usual mediocre sources, he's going to end up with the usual mediocre results. A real leader can harness the energy of creative people in a way that will enhance the entire enterprise. Since most people "per se" are mediocre, the true leader can be recognised because, somehow or other, his people consistently turn in superior performances.

is enthusiastic during tough times. Leaders who constantly complain about a bad situation can rarely motivate the troops and help them to overcome adversity. In a crisis, optimism and confidence are even more important than experience and intelligence.

has vision. In our experience there are two kinds of leader - the "lets-not" and the "why-not". When times are tough, the lets-not prefer to retreat, to stay with the familiar, to avoid taking risks. The why-nots, on the other hand, are open to fresh ideas and bold possibilities. If the old answers don't work, they're willing to experiment with new and unconventional solutions.

is tough - a quality that has less to do with personality than with character. It's not that the tough leader is abrasive, or uncaring, or insensitive. It's simply that he's willing and able to make the difficult and unpopular decisions - and live with their consequences.

holds a set of philosophical principles that guide him when it comes to specific issues. Rather than making decisions on an ad hoc basis, he has formed some conclusions about the basic objectives of the organisation and about how those objectives should be reached. By the same token, he knows that the long-term health and survival of the organisation must take precedence always over short-term gains.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

My present activities include doing the Harold Jarche course on personal knowledge management, PKM in 40 days , and testing the concept of working out loud.

This is challenging, as the introvert in me pushes for this process to be internalised, and screams for a completing of the work before it is shared. Small talk stresses me out, so the thought of working out load is scary. It's easier for me to talk about the complete picture, not the work in progress. Working with people and in groups drains the energy from me. I sense a loss of control over my thoughts...I am just not good at thinking out load.

So, working out loud in the social media might offer some great opportunities...I can put my ideas out in the hope that others can help improve them without...well, without having to be social. Really? Well, it is really a different way to been social than the team meeting, or face-to-face, or the social gathering.

With social media, I can control the level of interaction and the pace of engagement. I can create the space I need to recharge the batteries.

I guess I can still be social...work out load...and not raise my anxiety too much.

Thursday, January 01, 2015

Here is a little story from one of my favourite leadership practitioners, Max De Pree, that reminds us that what a leader does is important. I often find the CEO job a rather lonely life where every move is under someone’s observation. But rather than letting this develop into a sense of strain or tension, it is important to remember that if your actions reflect your word (or intentions) then you are being authentic and effective.

Esther, my wife, and I have a grand-daughter named Zoe, the Greek word for “life”. She was born prematurely and weighed one pound, seven ounces, so small that my wedding ring could slide up her arm to her shoulders. The neonatologist who first examined her told us that she had a 5 to 10 percent chance of living three days. When Esther and I scrubbed up for our first visit and saw Zoe in her isolette in the neonatal intensive care unit, she had two IVs in her navel, one in her foot, a monitor on each side of her chest, and a respirator tube and a feeding tube in her mouth.

To complicate matters, Zoe’s biological father had jumped ship the month before Zoe was born. Realising this, a wise and caring nurse named Ruth gave me my instructions. “For the next several months, at least, you’re the surrogate father. I want you to come to the hospital every day to visit Zoe, and when you come, I would like you to rub her body and her legs and arms with the tip of your finger. While you’re caressing her, you should tell her over and over how much you love her, because she has to be able to connect your voice to your touch.”

Ruth was doing exactly the right thing on Zoe’s behalf (and, of course, on my behalf as well), and without realising it she was giving me one of the best possible descriptions of the work of a leader. At the core of becoming a leader is the need always to connect one’s voice with one’s touch. (my emphasis)

'For groups like Friends of the Earth, part of the concern is that synthesized DNA is developed “outside of nature, outside of the process of natural selection.”'If the above view holds, then it also holds that the human species is alien to the Earth system. The flaw in this view is that people are not part of natural selection processes operating in nature.

The application of the capabilities the people have to exert selection pressure is not "outside" of nature. This is part of the course of nature, where better questions should be about the direction of selection pressures.

Models that are based on a premise that Earth can be managed as if people didn't exist do not help in our quest to address the many wicked challenges we face.

Translate

About Me

Shaun Coffey is an agricultural scientist and experienced CEO and independent director based in Australia. His interests include emergence and complexity, R&D management, the practice of science, technology enterprise, innovation leadership, and agricultural and food security. Any views expressed here are his own, and not of any institution or company with which he may be associated.